Here is another mess Ollie.
Is our government doing its job in protecting us or is it more worried
about the politics of some contributors? Here is another example of
"don't see-don't tell". It's time for the impeachment of King George.
He is leading a party of politicians that are only interested in feathering
their own nests. They are not concerned about how much of a mess
they leave behind for the rest of us to clean up.
Editorial from USA Today
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Mad cow cases met with shrug instead of safeguards
When bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow
disease, first surfaced in the United States in 2003, cattle ranchers
and government officials shrugged it off as a cow infected in
Canada before being imported here.
When a native-born cow tested positive this June, they explained
it away once again, saying the animal was infected before cattle
feed restrictions were put in place in 1997.
nd when a third possible domestic case surfaced last week, they
hastened to note that the 12-year-old cow hadn't entered the
food chain.
The story is always the same. Consumers are urged not to worry
about the chance of a major outbreak of the disease, like the
one that occurred in Europe a decade ago. They are assured
they will be protected by the practices of the cattle industry
and the policies of responsible government agencies.
In fact, those practices and policies are considered so
ineffective that 64 nations have total or partial bans on U.S.
beef products. And the two agencies charged with ensuring
a safe beef supply, the Agriculture Department (USDA)
and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have
become as much a part of the industry's public relations
team as they are public health watchdogs. Agriculture
Secretary Mike Johanns' response to each episode seems
to be to tell everyone he's going to have beef for dinner.
This inadequate oversight, resulting from short-sighted
cattle industry pressure, forces American consumers to
buy the beef that others will not. It's also counterproductive
for the industry itself, which would like diners worldwide
to think of its products as top of the line.
As the Agriculture Department investigates the latest
possible case of the disease - results are expected this
week — it has reaffirmed how lackadaisical and insufficient
its testing practices are. The FDA, meanwhile, oversees
cattle feed policies so riddled with loopholes they would
be laughable if they weren't so nauseating.
Mad cow disease is spread when cows, which are herbivores
by nature, are fed parts of cattle and other ruminant
(cud-chewing) animals. It can be prevented from spreading
to humans by careful monitoring of what cattle eat and by
effective, timely testing.
At the moment, American consumers have neither protection:
•Feed loopholes. In 1997, the FDA imposed a so-called ban
on the feeding of ruminant protein to cows. But that policy has
two enormous exemptions. Weaning calves may drink cattle
blood as a milk substitute. And feed may include the waste
from chicken coop floors as a protein supplement. This waste
poses a risk not because of its many unsavory elements,
including feces and feathers, but because FDA officials estimate
that up to 30% of it can be uneaten chicken feed — which
routinely contains beef.
•"Keystone Kops" testing. The brain tissue of the cow
that is currently being tested was first collected in April.
The investigation was delayed because the veterinarian
forgot to send the sample to the laboratory. The sample
that tested positive in June had originally been cleared
by USDA last year. Subsequent tests were ordered by a
suspicious internal investigator, showing how inadequate
the department's testing is.
The industry is right to argue that the chances of anyone
contracting the human form of the disease are quite low.
But the issue isn't the overall risk, but whether the
government and industry are taking reasonable steps
to ensure it is as low as it can be.
By that standard, consumers are right to have a beef.
The feed loopholes need to be closed. Quicker, more accurate
testing processes need to be fast-tracked.
Only then will Americans be able to enjoy their summer
barbecues without having to worry that eating a hamburger
might lead to a fatal brain-wasting disease.
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